Medical Librarians as Curricular Designers in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety: Advancement of Research and Scholarship through the ResQIPS Framework
Objectives: Create a linkage between resident education & support on Quality Improvement(QI)/Patient Safety(PS) activities to scholarship, with the intent of increasing scholarly projects and improving patient care and patient outcomes in a hospital setting. Increase participation and interdisciplinary collaboration on research and QI projects within HonorHealth’s GME programs, and more broadly, across multiple disciplines in the network.
Description: A librarian-led, interprofessional committee comprised of representatives from GME, Research, QI/PS, Nursing, Pharmacy and Library developed and implemented an innovative framework and curriculum called ResQIPS (Research, Quality Improvement and Patient Safety) in 2016, linking education and support on QI/PS activities to scholarship. Our librarians were selected by our CAO to oversee the project due to their competence in research principles, resource knowledge, and experience working across multiple disciplines. Our librarians teach part of ResQIPS and are actively involved in furthering the spirit of inquiry amongst Honorhealth clinicians. To date, 4 half-day workshops have been held with individual mentoring support offered between workshops. Participants (n=63 in 2017;n=141 in 2018; 2019 data in progress) report high levels of satisfaction with instructional approach, curriculum and delivery model, increased understanding of key research principles and better knowledge of how to access resources and support.
Conclusion: Key Findings: The ResQIPS program has made a significant impact on resident scholarship. Residency programs reported a 28% increase in projects due to organizational efforts including the ResQIPS series. Focus is now on faculty and IPE team. In addition to changing the culture towards a spirit of “inquiry”, project contributions, especially those of organizational importance, have been recognized by the HonorHealth C-suite.
Next Steps: Received 2 year grant funding to hire fulltime director and scale the educational program for the network. Integrate feedback from participants for more hands-on, case-based learning. Develop better measurement tools to capture and quantify program success.
